Thursday, March 22, 2012

Book Review - Etiquette for an Apocalypse - Anne Mendel

Review: The title of his book struck me funny because how would someone be expected to act after the "End of the World." What would be the proper etiquette on how to survive in a world that might be almost completely unlivable. Do you still go on dates? Does it matter if women wear make up or does it matter if people shower anymore?

The book introduces us to the Sophie Cohen and her family. Bertrand is Sophie's husband and one of few doctors, Sasha is her 13 year old rebellious daughter, then there is her brilliant brother Mitchell who is autistic, and finally, Lulu her crazy mother who trains show dogs and pretends to live in the past but is, in reality, very aware of what is going on around her.

Anne Mendel created the character Sophie, a mother, who is trying to keep her family alive while dealing with death all around her. The author depicts Sophie as someone people could identify with and make the reader question "What would I do if I were put in this situation."

The author made me genuinely laugh when Sophie talked about how people prepared or didn't prepare for the end of the world. "The Christan Left-Behinders are now tiptoeing around their own special basement of shame, thinking the righteous ones have been called up. Jewish mothers have spent thousands of years perfecting emergency preparedness, but alas, not for the end of the world. Mormons -- well, they prepared." The humor in the book was snarky but most of the time it was what was going through Sophie's head but rarely did she verbalize it.

The author also introduced us to Axe. A gang leader who might be trying to save what is left of the human population still left on earth, Athena Wonder, a Palm\Tarot reader, and Smiley, the man who holds the secret to everyone's survival. The only problem is Smiley thinks he is King Arthur. He has already killed everyone who knows anything about his "stash" and will kill anyone who tries to take it away. Sophie is left trying to solve the question, "How do you get a man who is crazy to give up his stash?" Why of course! Pretend Sophie can talk to Merlin.

The author illustrates a group of very colorful characters throughout the book. Gypsies, gay men, doctors, mercenaries, prostitutes and just plain old crazies to keep the reader intrigued.

At the beginning of each chapter the author has quotes from movies, authors, actors, and even Sun Tzu, the author of Art of War. I enjoyed how the author incorporated the quotes to match the chapter for example Chapter 36's quote: "Perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who... have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well. J.K. Rowling" Perhaps another question I feel the author has the reader pondering, "What would I do if I was put into power without wanting to be there?"

The humor in the book makes it a fun to read even though the topic in general can be, at times, depressing and sad. Who would've thought someone could make termite soup sound almost edible. The author ends the book with one important question, "If the world was coming to an end in minutes who would you call? Why Wait?"

My answer would be my stock broker. Just kidding. It would be my family because I would want them to know I loved them no matter how much they drive me crazy in life... and yes I have recently talked to my family.

I gave this book five stars, but I know this book isn't for everyone…so be warned there’s quite a bit of language and violence.

I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more from this author.

Synopsis: It’s the 2020 Apocalypse and Sophie Cohen, former social worker turned neighborly drug dealer, must keep her family alive amid those pesky end of the world issues: starvation, earthquakes, plagues, gang violence and alas more starvation.She investigates a serial killing and takes down the sinister emerging power structure while learning to use a pizza box solar oven, bond with her chickens and blast tin cans from the perimeter fence with a Ruger 9MM.

In order to accomplish all this she must find a way to love her mother, accept her daughter’s adulthood and reignite her moribund marriage.

She might discover that a decentralized, consensus driven life—without fossil fuels, iPhones and chocolate éclairs—isn’t the end of the world, after all.

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